Draw the Line

★★★☆☆

Funky, smooth and with no mess or fuss – that would be the veteran Ireland pair Greg Dowling and Shane Johnson. The two have been prolific in 12-inch format, but find themselves with only a sophomore album on their hands, and this knowledge of how they work best has Draw the Line coming eight years after their first LP as well. Bearing house and soul insights whose lightness on the ear is summer-streaked, with a gumption to them so the Fish don’t blear and disappear, opening cut “Being Supreme” heads off at a good rate of knots, before “Two Wheels” and “Find a Way” turn on the style while keeping modest.

The duo’s need to take their time and hitting brass tacks on the head is all over “All Change,” which cuts down the tempo on a smoky funk burner that tempts you into filling the dance floor with cushions and pillows. Both have no qualms about withdrawing the vibe, which can become an issue for when the album leaves it chair to put on its dancing shoes, then kicks them back off and settles back down. Additionally, there’s nothing as addictive as “The Cure and the Cause”, as that particular richness finds itself seeping through the trip hop-soul of “Blue Flame” and icy calmer “Rub You Out” instead.File under: Smoove & Turrell, Tracey K, King Britt